Vegan salad made with roasted sweet potatoes, baked spicy chickpeas, quinoa, pomegranate seeds, walnuts and veggies by tossing them in a simple dressing made of mustard and dates!

Until my 20s, a salad in my life was just a plateful of sliced tomatoes or cucumbers. A boring but supremely healthy plate of food that neither tempted the vision nor the appetite. And then, I found this salad bar in a mall food court that totally made me love salads. While salad bars are extremely common in the west, there aren't many out here in the tropical sub continent. May be it is the weather or may be it just that there is no demand. I loved the idea that I could pile up my bowl with anything and everything and make my own salad. Unfortunately, the place shut down after a while. But ever since, I love DIY salads.

While I eat salads, I rarely post their recipes. When I make salads at home, they are usually very simple - veggies tossed in a simple vinaigrette, so I don't share them with you. But this salad, I had to share!!

Where do I begin with this salad... it has so many delicious things all mixed together.

Roasted Sweet Potato - I found some gorgeous orange sweet potato (a rare find in Bangalore), so I bought some and roasted it in the oven with olive oil, salt, cumin and smoked paprika until they were soft and fabulous. Alternatively, roast some pumpkin.

Spicy baked Chickpeas - You have to add some crunch to the salad, and in this case, these chickpeas are the crunch element. I soaked chickpeas overnight and cooked them with salt until soft. Then I peeled them and roasted them with olive oil and salt. I tossed in some red chilli powder after removing from the oven. You can buy crispy chickpeas or you can just add boiled chickpeas.

Quinoa - This is what makes the salad filling and increases the protein content of the salad. If you cannot find quinoa, use millet or buckwheat.

Blanched Vegetables - I blanched some broccoli and beans and added them to the salad. I love broccoli and beans are just healthy. Add any of your favorite veggies, blanched or raw.

Pomegranate - I love pomegranate and I will add this to any salad I can. These sweet juicy pink seeds make any salad pop. They add a slight sweetness to the salad and complement the sweet potato really well.

Walnuts - You can never have enough crunch in a salad. Add in any nuts you love, I personally love walnuts. Plus, they are good for your brain.

Lettuce - Salad isn't salad until you have some green leaves. And while I list is last, it is most definitely the mandatory element of the salad. You can replace it with kale or baby spinach.

Since the salad itself had such gorgeous ingredients, I kept the dressing simple, yet interesting. Mustard, dates, extra virgin olive oil, vinegar, garlic and salt. Just blend everything until you have a tart sweet and hot dressing.

This salad is substantial enough to be a meal in itself. In fact, it was our dinner and it kept us feeling full for a long time. However, it felt light also.

The salad has ingredients that need preparation - roasting, baking, blanching and boiling. You can prep all of these in advance. That is exactly what I did. I roasted the sweet potato and chickpeas the day before. The chickpeas tend to get a little soft and chewy, but you can pop them in the oven for a while before adding to the salad to crisp them up again. I boiled the quinoa the previous day too. If you plan to make the salad the very next day, then you can also blanch the veggies the night before.

If you made this recipe, let me know! Leave a comment here or on Facebook, tag your tweet with @oneteaspoonlife on Twitter and don't forget to tag your photo #oneteaspoonoflife on Instagram. You can also email me at onetspoflife@gmail.com I'd love to see what you are upto.

If you like this recipe, do not forget to share it with your friends and family!

Method:

1. Soak the chickpeas for 8-10 hours. Drain and boil in salted water until done.2. Drain and peel the chickpeas. Dry as much as possible.3. Toss with 1 tsp Olive oil and bake at 200 degree C for 25-30 minutes until crisp.4. Remove from oven and toss with red chilli powder. 5. Peel and dice the sweet potato.6. Toss in 2 tsp olive oil, smoked paprika, salt and cumin powder until all pieces are coated.7. Bake for 35-40 minutes at 200 degree C until done.8. Cook the quinoa as per instructions on the packet until done. I soaked the quinoa for 1 hour and pressure cooked with 1.5 cups of water.9. Boil water and add a pinch of salt. Blanch the broccoli florets and beans for 2-3 minutes. Remove from hot water and immediately put the broccoli and beans in cold water. 10. Soak the dates in warm water. Drain the water, deseed the dates and blend into a puree. Use little water while blending if required.11. Blend together mustard powder, vinegar, garlic powder, date puree, water and salt until mixed.12. Make the salad by tossing the lettuce leaves, roasted sweet potato, chickpeas, quinoa, blanched broccoli, chopped blanched beans, walnuts, pomegranate seeds and the dressing together.13. Serve at room temperature.

Laziness… that’s all is my excuse. It’s been a very long time since I posted. Initially, I had an excuse, I took a weeklong vacation to my parents’ house. Who blogs on vacation, right? *sheepish smile*. I relaxed whilst watching the monsoon and drinking endless cups of tea. Playing board games and watching TV. Then I had to answer 2 exams, I helped paint a school etc etc. But after that, only laziness. I have seen this quote making rounds on Facebook “Laziness is the mother of all evils, but she is a mother and we need to respect her :P”. So maybe I was just showing respect :P

At lunch the other day, we were discussing how bad the cafeteria okra was and then one colleague told us a recipe his mom used to cook okra. He said the same Oriya recipe is used for potatoes, brinjals, drumstick etc. He wasn’t aware of any popular name for the dish. Also, I got some vague quantities, so I just used my instincts with measurements. In the end, it turned out awesome. I did try it with okra, but I liked the potato and drumsticks better. The following recipe serves 2.

Soak the mustard, garlic and poppy seeds in half a cup of water and keep aside for at least 30 mins.
Chop the potato into rough cubes.
Peel and chop the drumstick into chunks.
Drain the mustard, garlic and poppy and grind into a fine paste using a little water.
Heat the vegetable oil and the red chillies.
Add the potatoes and turmeric powder and stir fry them for 30 secs.
Add the drumstick and fry for 30 secs
Add the mustard paste and mix until the vegetables are coated with it.
Add 1 cup of water and salt and cover and cook until the potatoes are cooked.
Add water to get desired consistency.
Add a dash of mustard oil once the pan is off the stove and mix well.
Serve hot with roti or bread